This invention relates generally to protective bumper strip assemblies for protecting furniture edges, wall and display case surfaces and the like. In particular, this invention is directed to resilient bumper strips which provide improved strength, improved impact resistance, improved resistance to stretching and shrinking, and improved mating with the mounting member.
Protective strip assemblies using resilient strip materials in various types of channels are known in the art, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,013,596, 4,083,592, and 4,808,451 and the patents cited therein. The protective strip assembly disclosed in each of those patents includes a metal or plastic channel capped by a strip of a resilient material, such as rubber. The channel, which may be roughly rectangular in its outside cross-section, attaches to a surface to be protected. The resilient rubber strip is secured to the channel member and partially surrounds and engages the channel along the channel faces that face generally perpendicular to the surface to be protected.
It is an object of this invention to provide a protective bumper strip assembly having a flexible bumper strip which has greater strength than prior art strips.
It is another object of this invention to provide a flexible protective resilient strip having improved impact resistance.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a protective bumper strip assembly having a bumper strip which resists shrinking and stretching.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a flexible resilient strip which can be more securely locked to the mounting member of the protective strip assembly